Cal's Haas Pavilion to get $10 million in improvements

BERKELEY -- Haas Pavilion will receive $10 million in improvements, including a center-hung scoreboard, to be completed by the fall of 2015, the athletic department announced Monday.

The renovation, made possible through a gift from the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund, will also provide upgraded sound and lighting systems and modernized video production facilities.

Construction is expected to begin in May.

Originally opened as Harmon Gym in 1933, the arena was renamed Haas Pavilion in 1999 after a two-year renovation that boosted the capacity to 11,877. Walter A. Haas Jr. and his wife, Evelyn, provided the lead gift that allowed the reconstruction in the late 1990s.

"We're extremely pleased to help Cal Athletics ensure that Haas Pavilion continues to be a well-equipped and dynamic venue for student-athletes, their coaches and passionate Bear fans," Walter J. Haas, Chair of the Haas Jr. Fund, said. "My father was a devoted Cal alum, and he believed in the power of sports to galvanize not only a team but the entire community. This gift embodies his legacy."

Haas Pavilion is the home venue for five of Cal's sports programs -- men's and women's basketball, women's volleyball and men's and women's gymnastics. In addition, it houses training facilities, offices and locker rooms for 10 intercollegiate athletics teams, as well as most of the athletic department's administrative offices.